By Bethany Barrett

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Simplicity 1373 View A – A Review!

So this was a pretty quick pattern to make up. I didn’t make a muslin first, though I really should have, and all in all this took about 3 days of sewing after/before work. So this wasn’t even a 3 day full-time type of project, which is great. I’ll definitely make more and maybe mess around with the pattern a little to change some things around. Here are some pictures of the process and issues I had while making this, how I solved those problems, and the modifications I had to make to make this wearable.

View A is what the model is wearing but I’ll be modifying it.

First, the sizing on this shirt was much different than I expected. Simplicity usually does a good job of being accurate on the paper pattern but this time I was surprised. I should have done a size 8 but ended up with a size 10 instead. I didn’t do a muslin first though I should have. Thankfully it worked out so no harm no foul. I did have to double the seam allowance of the back strap seams to get it fit without gaping in the back. The straps were also ridiculously long, so I ended up getting rid of the tabs on each side meant for the buttons, and put the buttons directly on the bodice.

This is the semi side view – there isn’t much to see really!

The back! You can see slightly off to the right where some odd gaping happens, imagine that being even worse before I took it all in.

Where the straps cross, towards the sides, is where most of the gaping was happening. I’ve managed to eliminate most of it while still having room to move around and be comfortable. The straps are so long I probably would shorten them on a size 8! You can also see where I put the buttons on the side of the bodice rather than at the back with a tab. You can see them from the front as well (sort of) and I quite like that detail. So even if I shorten the straps, I’ll probably keep omitting the tabs though I did add interfacing to the bodice where the buttons are for extra support. Wouldn’t want them ripping or anything. Another thing I was slightly upset with was the length of the bodice in general.

The front!

I was hoping it would end closer to my belly button but as you can see, it’s a tad bit higher than that. My belly button is also not centered…but that’s a different issue altogether. I do like how nicely I centered the pattern and was very pleased with myself in that regard. I did do it on purpose so my efforts were successful! You can’t tell here though but my bust darts are just a tad too high as well which is unusual since I’m petite. Typically I have the opposite issue where everything is too long but this time I’ll have to lengthen it and rearrange the darts. Thankfully that’s quite easy and they are placed well enough for now that I’ll wear this version in public without feeling self-conscious about it.

Button holes! I love these because my machine did them AUTOMATICALLY! This is really huge for me to have a machine nice enough to do this.

This is to show the importance of pressing your seams. Here we have an unpressed seam…

Versus the same seam, but pressed. See how much it changes the piece of my bodice?

This is for the shoulder pieces. I’ve got my pinked seams that join the front and back pieces, and I went through with bias tape to bind the outside edges. So neat and tidy!

Another alteration I made to the pattern was omitting the skirt at the bottom that made it a peplum top. It is now a crop top, to be paired with a matching circle skirt I’m still in the process of making. It would have been done by now, but I accidentally made a mistake measuring the length making it only…13 inches long! That’s WAY too short as it nearly shows my butt and everything. So I had to improvise by taking some similarly colored lining and making a second skirt to go underneath. I’ll be wearing some yoga shorts underneath regardless of length but at least now it’ll be a bit more comfortable for me. So with the skirt the shirt won’t be as short looking which will also help things out that way.

Wayyyy too short, you would see my butt! And while I exercise to keep it cute, I’d rather not show it so publicly…

I’m also still working on my Lady Loch party dress, and have made progress on a cape! I still need the lining with boning to make and sew on, hem the dress (and cape) and add the sparkly details! Here’s a sneak peak, the dress will have its own post when it’s done, bonus pictures of my furry ‘helpers!’

It hangs a little nicer with my arm there, I swear.

Some shoulder detail of the cape.

Once I connect them (the cape will be permanently attached to the dress) I’ll add more fabric to help shape things and add fun details.